The Belmont University women’s basketball team secured its fourth consecutive win with a 77-37 victory over Valparaiso on Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in Nashville. The Bruins improved their season record to 16-9 overall and 12-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while Valparaiso remained winless at 0-26.
Belmont delivered a strong defensive effort, holding Valparaiso to just 14 made field goals on 19.4 percent shooting. The Bruins collected 14 steals, marking their tenth game this season with at least 12 takeaways, and limited the Beacons to 6-for-33 shooting from beyond the arc.
Offensively, Belmont made a season-high 14 three-pointers out of 40 attempts and received significant contributions from its bench, which accounted for 28 points. The team also dominated the boards, outrebounding Valparaiso 61-48 and outscoring them in the paint by a margin of 24-12.
Sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 15 rebounds and added 10 points. Junior guard Jailyn Banks led all scorers with 19 points on efficient shooting, while also collecting six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Graduate guard Avery Strickland contributed 11 points—making three of four shots from long range—and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Quinn Eubank matched Strickland’s scoring output and grabbed seven boards.
Belmont established control early, starting with a 7-0 run and building a lead that never fell below eight points after the opening quarter. By halftime, they led by more than twenty points following a strong finish to the second quarter.
Banks was recognized before tipoff for reaching her milestone of 1,000 career points during a previous home game against Murray State. She was presented with a commemorative basketball at midcourt.
Sunday’s matchup was also Belmont’s annual Play4Kay game supporting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Coaching staffs from both teams wore pink “Play for a Cure” t-shirts as part of cancer awareness efforts.
The win marked Belmont’s sixth straight victory over Valparaiso and represented their largest margin of victory this season at forty points. Banks has now scored in double figures in sixteen out of seventeen games played this season, while Strickland has reached double digits in all but four conference matchups.
Looking ahead, Belmont will travel to Illinois next weekend to face Illinois State on Friday followed by Bradley on Sunday. Fans can watch Friday’s game via The Valley on ESPN+.
Single-game tickets for the upcoming season are available through BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or by calling the ticket office at 615-460-BALL.
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is scheduled for March 12–15 in Coralville, Iowa at Xtream Arena. All-session tournament passes are currently available for purchase online along with room bookings at Drury Inn & Suites—the official hotel for Belmont fans.
